Small PoxSmall pox, which was once the most feared disease known by mankind startedout in the days of Christopher Columbus. The disease set out to change thelives of the people in the worse way. It became known as an epidemic diseasethat ended up killing hundreds of people. Small pox started out in Hispaniolaand because of no cure, it traveled to the island of Puerto Rico, and then Cuba.
It was only a matter of time until it spread to the mainland, somewhere inAmerica. In the Middle Ages, small pox was a highly contagious disease whichoften lead to death if not treated. In this term paper you will read and learnabout the causes, symptoms and treatments of this horrible disease.
Small pox which was often refereed to as a life threatening disease, iscaused by a virus, which was not discovered until the nineteenth century. Mostof the victims whom acquired small pox, was a result of face to face contact.
It is passed through the nose where tiny particles are released when theinfected person sneezes, also by the mouth where particles are once againejected when the victim coughs. The disease can be transmitted by dried smallpox scabs and through materials the infected person has come in contact with.
The virus is reproduced in the lymphoid tissue and released into the body.
Virus reproduction begins when the virion comes into contact with a suitablehost cell. The virus must interact with a receptor on the cell surface. Theinfectious cycle usually consists of two stages. The first stage makes theproteins necessary for the protein to form. The second stage forms the adultvirion to start the attack on the body. Smallpox attack with no warning.
There are several painful symptoms that are brought upon by this disease.
In most of the cases, symptoms in a new victim will occur ten to twelve dayslater. Patients will develop chills, high fever, and nausousness. The feversmay reach up to 105 degrees farenht. In three or four days later a rash eruptsand the fever and discomfort may subside. It begins on the face, then spreadingto the chest, arms, back and finally the legs. It consists of hard red lumpswhich become pimple like, swelling and containing puss. “The pustules gave thedisease its name, by which it was first known in the west as Variola” (Giblin59). This rash itches severely but scratching must be avoided in order toprevent another infection from forming. “Up to forty percent of the patientsdied, in the rest, scabs eventually formed and then fell off, leaving permanentpits and scars in the skin” ( Lawrence 365). Some of the patients were alsoleft blinded. The victims who were faced with this dreadful disease, sufferedterribly. In some cases if sever enough the patient would lose the battle withsmallpox and die. Sometimes the rash would never heal completely and cause anacne type look on the persons body. There is no medication to clear up the acneit is perminit, sometimes worse than others.
In 1796, Edward Jenner, a British physician, developed the first vaccineto prevent small pox (Johnston 92). At the age of eight he experienced apainful fight with small pox. This was his inspiration to discover a method toprevent the suffering of small pox victims. The news of this marvelousdevelopment spread quickly and it was soon used widely around the world. Duringthe 1800’s many countries required everyone as a law, to receive the vaccine.
It was recognized that the vaccine was the best quality and the diseasecontinued to spread. The vaccination contained the virus that causes cowpox,this disease is similar to small pox but a milder form. This causes theproduction of antibodies that give protection against both cowpox and small pox.
There is no specific treatment for small pox. Due to the disease being socontagious, patients need to be isolated until they are completely recovered.
The sores must be kept clean and penicillin and sulfa medications are sometimesgiven to prevent further infections. However, after a person has come acrossthe disease and recovers from it they become permanently immune to the virus.
Jenner later promoted the smallpox vaccination and ultimately wiped the virusclear out. Since then there has only been one case of smallpox but they are notcertain that it really was the smallpox virus or just a clone of a chicken poxvirus. Vaccinations only work depending on ones immune system if it is weak thevaccine will not take.
The number of small pox infected countries gradually decreased. ” InApril 1978, WHO ( world health organization) officials announced the world’slast known case of naturally occurring small pox had been found in Somalia inOctober 1977″ ( Fetzer 513). When small pox it the world it came down like aton of bricks. So many people lost their lives to this horrifying disease. “Small pox was once the worst scourges ever to afflict humankind, surpassingcholera, bubonic plague, and yellow fever in time span and geographicalcoverage” ( Time 17). Due to the dedication of Edward Jenner and his discoveryof the cowpox vaccine, many people were saved from the pains and suffering ofthe ugliest disease of the middle ages. This also saved many people from dingand spreading the disease to others. Now at birth people are given this vaccinealong with others to stop the cathging of other diseases and to most importantlystop the spread of deadly diseases. The time period of smallpox was a bad onedo to all the other terrible plagues such as the black plague, shingles, and theterrible venereal diseases of the times like oral herpes and hepatitis. Thereis a vaccine now for all the terrible plagues so there is nomore real concernabout stuff like smallpox the big thing today is AIDS.
Small pox, which was once the most feared disease known by mankind startedout in the days of Christopher Columbus. The disease set out to change thelives of the people in the worse way. It became known as an epidemic diseasethat ended up killing hundreds of people. Small pox started out in Hispaniolaand because of no cure, it traveled to the island of Puerto Rico, and then Cuba.
It was only a matter of time until it spread to the mainland, somewhere inAmerica. In the Middle Ages, small pox was a highly contagious disease whichoften lead to death if not treated. In this term paper you will read and learnabout the causes, symptoms and treatments of this horrible disease.
Small pox which was often refereed to as a life threatening disease, iscaused by a virus, which was not discovered until the nineteenth century. Mostof the victims whom acquired small pox, was a result of face to face contact.
It is passed through the nose where tiny particles are released when theinfected person sneezes, also by the mouth where particles are once againejected when the victim coughs. The disease can be transmitted by dried smallpox scabs and through materials the infected person has come in contact with.
The virus is reproduced in the lymphoid tissue and released into the body.
Virus reproduction begins when the virion comes into contact with a suitablehost cell. The virus must interact with a receptor on the cell surface. Theinfectious cycle usually consists of two stages. The first stage makes theproteins necessary for the protein to form. The second stage forms the adultvirion to start the attack on the body. Smallpox attack with no warning.
There are several painful symptoms that are brought upon by this disease.
In most of the cases, symptoms in a new victim will occur ten to twelve dayslater. Patients will develop chills, high fever, and nausousness. The feversmay reach up to 105 degrees farenht. In three or four days later a rash eruptsand the fever and discomfort may subside. It begins on the face, then spreadingto the chest, arms, back and finally the legs. It consists of hard red lumpswhich become pimple like, swelling and containing puss. “The pustules gave thedisease its name, by which it was first known in the west as Variola” (Giblin59). This rash itches severely but scratching must be avoided in order toprevent another infection from forming. “Up to forty percent of the patientsdied, in the rest, scabs eventually formed and then fell off, leaving permanentpits and scars in the skin” ( Lawrence 365). Some of the patients were alsoleft blinded. The victims who were faced with this dreadful disease, sufferedterribly. In some cases if sever enough the patient would lose the battle withsmallpox and die. Sometimes the rash would never heal completely and cause anacne type look on the persons body. There is no medication to clear up the acneit is permanent, sometimes worse than others.
In 1796, Edward Jenner, a British physician, developed the first vaccineto prevent small pox (Johnston 92). At the age of eight he experienced apainful fight with small pox. This was his inspiration to discover a method toprevent the suffering of small pox victims. The news of this marvelousdevelopment spread quickly and it was soon used widely around the world. Duringthe 1800’s many countries required everyone as a law, to receive the vaccine.
It was recognized that the vaccine was the best quality and the diseasecontinued to spread. The vaccination contained the virus that causes cowpox,this disease is similar to small pox but a milder form. This causes theproduction of antibodies that give protection against both cowpox and small pox.
There is no specific treatment for small pox. Due to the disease being socontagious, patients need to be isolated until they are completely recovered.
The sores must be kept clean and penicillin and sulfa medications are sometimesgiven to prevent further infections. However, after a person has come acrossthe disease and recovers from it they become permanently immune to the virus.
Jenner later promoted the smallpox vaccination and ultimately wiped the virusclear out. Since then there has only been one case of smallpox but they are notcertain that it really was the smallpox virus or just a clone of a chicken poxvirus. Vaccinations only work depending on ones immune system if it is weak thevaccine will not take.
The number of small pox infected countries gradually decreased. ” InApril 1978, WHO ( world health organization) officials announced the world’slast known case of naturally occurring small pox had been found in Somalia inOctober 1977″ ( Fetzer 513).
